What is Stopping You?

A myriad of colours splashed across the canvas for the artist’s pleasure. But also, for ours. Their gift seen in all its splendour, but do we truly know them. Only part of who they are is depicted in their drawings, their paintings. Sometimes the artist’s innermost self is displayed for all to see while others represent a fantasy, a possibility of a better life.

I’m standing at the Lume Art display and all these thoughts transverse across my mind. Some artists more than others enthral me. I desire to know more about them personally. I desire to know their story. I am drawn to what they create. As I am enjoying the experience it makes me wonder about God.

Do these artists know Him? The creator of all? Are they trying to use their gifts to help others to come to know this Creator? They are truly showing us His magnificence.

Is that what a songwriter, a writer does? Or are they just telling us their story?

I guess it depends upon their motivation, upon where they are in life at the time of their creating. What did they fall in love with to inspire them to paint as a career?

They were all so different.

Renoir was brilliant but suffered from debilitating arthritis – this did not stop him.

Monet states, “the richness I achieve comes from nature, the source of my inspiration.” And he continually used the outdoors to put onto a canvas the light and atmosphere he could see. But he continually fought against financial hardship and was driven to despair and attempted suicide. Later in life he also suffered from cataracts, this affected his paintings by the colours he could no longer perceive, blues and purples. But he did not stop painting.

Pissarro desired to capture the daily reality of village life. He had to continue to paint to support himself and his large family even though heavily criticised and carrying the burden of his nine-year-old daughter’s death the week before his exhibition opened.

Looking at many of these paintings, the feelings of the people in the story depicted was so real. Oh, I do so admire so many of these artists. Painting the splendour of God. So many of these artists learnt off each other, shared with each other their skills. Trained young apprentices on “how to paint.” But also had to cope with life’s disappointments, with just living life

It makes me think, what am I driven by? Who am I depicting in my life, with my words? Am I inspiring others to live a certain way, to draw on their life’s canvas a certain style, seeking the best for their life?

And if I’m not, why? Am I letting my debilitation stop me?

What are you drawing on your life’s canvas? Even though the light may not be good, what are you drawing? What can you see? What are you showing to others?

So, I pray that just as these painters flood the canvas with light and colours, our God floods our minds and hearts with the light and colours of His Spirit.

May these jottings from my journal inspire you to believe in and fall in love with Christ- the hope of the world, as stated in Jeremiah 17:7, ‘Blessed is the man who believes and trusts in and relies on the Lord and whose hope and confident expectation is the Lord!’

Love

Rosemary

Every week groups of ladies meet together to chat about the things I raise in my weekly blog post and to chat about life in general. We call these ‘Heart Connect’ groups. If you would like more information please click HERE.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

What are you drawing on your life’s canvas? What are you showing to others?

Is there something stopping you from being all that God wants you to be? What is it that stops you?

What can you do to step into the life God wants you to live?

3 Comments

Cheryl

May 24, 2023 at 1:38 pm

Thank you, Rosemary, for this thought provoking blog. God bless.

ANDREA McHUTCHON

May 24, 2023 at 5:56 pm

Thank you Rosemary. God bless

Valerie Simms

May 24, 2023 at 9:01 pm

Thank you Rosemary for sharing with us concerning the inner life of Artists and their reasons for expressing themselves through Art. I have been intrigued with Artists and their artwork for a very long time, since I was a young girl. As a young teenager I opened an Art book at the School Library of the Renaissance Artist and Sculptor, Michelangelo. I was so gob smacked at his skill and I could not stop staring at the variety of themes he had expressed through his art work!!! I had to ask myself could I do art work like this??? At the age of 22, after leaving our God behind since the age of 10, I came seeking God’s help, because of a very strange and disturbing experience that occurred due to my sister playing the wee gee board with her friend in our bedroom! This brought me upon a spiritual journey to various Christian Protestant Churches. I did attend a Christian Private College and began pursuing Art once again, but this time more seriously. I then attended the National Art School and Kogarah Tafe. I was able to obtain an Advanced Diploma in Fine Art. Originally my intention was to combine my Faith with Art. But as the years rolled on, I concentrated on how I could be a successful artist more than integrating my Faith with Art. This led to me falling away from our Lord BUT not for long!!! I had a dream I will never forget, that had me trying to paint a huge Abstract Painting. But as I looked down at the huge canvas that was on the floor, I could see several layered material coloured cloths forming an image of Holy Mary holding baby Lord Jesus in her arms!!! In the dream I tried to remove the material cloths from the canvas, and the more I tried to remove them, the more there were underneath!!! Finally I removed all the cloths, only to find a luminous outline of bright light where the Holy Mother and baby Lord Jesus once were!!! I could not explain why I had this dream until years later… It was only a few months later I was diagnosed with Adenoid cystic carcinoma!!! I could no longer continue pursuing my art career, as I had to have an operation to remove the cancer in my neck and have radio therapy. This took many prayers and quite a long time for me to recover. I decided then to go back and seek our Loving God for the help I needed and to NEVER fall away from Him again!!! I also decided that I would drop pursuing Art as my career… But 18 years later, I still have a passion for Art and those artists that you have mentioned Rosemary and more!!! I prayed to the Lord that I wanted Him to be part of the art work I made, and would there be any way I could make a living from it somehow? Not that long ago I discovered an artist who had made art work for the Catholic Church, in which I have now returned to and do not feel I want to go anywhere else anymore!!! This artist is very good in painting Iconography. The more I read about Iconography, the more interested I became!!! This type of Art work includes images of our Lord, Holy Mary, the Saints, the Angels and as you paint you also pray!!! I am not interested only in learning how to paint Iconography BUT HAVING OUR LORD SPEAKING TO MY HEART THROUGH THE ART WORK WHILE I PAINT!!!….Could you please pray for me Rosemary, Bruce and Team that if this is God’s Will for me to do this, that He will find a way for me? May the Lord bless you Rosemary and I’m praying also for Bruce and the Team, that you continue to reach out far and wide in proclaiming the Gospel, in sharing your and others spiritual experiences with the Lord to all who need to hear and praying effectively for many of us around the world !!!

Cheryl

May 24, 2023 at 1:38 pm

Thank you, Rosemary, for this thought provoking blog. God bless.
ANDREA McHUTCHON

May 24, 2023 at 5:56 pm

Thank you Rosemary. God bless
Valerie Simms

May 24, 2023 at 9:01 pm

Thank you Rosemary for sharing with us concerning the inner life of Artists and their reasons for expressing themselves through Art. I have been intrigued with Artists and their artwork for a very long time, since I was a young girl. As a young teenager I opened an Art book at the School Library of the Renaissance Artist and Sculptor, Michelangelo. I was so gob smacked at his skill and I could not stop staring at the variety of themes he had expressed through his art work!!! I had to ask myself could I do art work like this??? At the age of 22, after leaving our God behind since the age of 10, I came seeking God’s help, because of a very strange and disturbing experience that occurred due to my sister playing the wee gee board with her friend in our bedroom! This brought me upon a spiritual journey to various Christian Protestant Churches. I did attend a Christian Private College and began pursuing Art once again, but this time more seriously. I then attended the National Art School and Kogarah Tafe. I was able to obtain an Advanced Diploma in Fine Art. Originally my intention was to combine my Faith with Art. But as the years rolled on, I concentrated on how I could be a successful artist more than integrating my Faith with Art. This led to me falling away from our Lord BUT not for long!!! I had a dream I will never forget, that had me trying to paint a huge Abstract Painting. But as I looked down at the huge canvas that was on the floor, I could see several layered material coloured cloths forming an image of Holy Mary holding baby Lord Jesus in her arms!!! In the dream I tried to remove the material cloths from the canvas, and the more I tried to remove them, the more there were underneath!!! Finally I removed all the cloths, only to find a luminous outline of bright light where the Holy Mother and baby Lord Jesus once were!!! I could not explain why I had this dream until years later… It was only a few months later I was diagnosed with Adenoid cystic carcinoma!!! I could no longer continue pursuing my art career, as I had to have an operation to remove the cancer in my neck and have radio therapy. This took many prayers and quite a long time for me to recover. I decided then to go back and seek our Loving God for the help I needed and to NEVER fall away from Him again!!! I also decided that I would drop pursuing Art as my career… But 18 years later, I still have a passion for Art and those artists that you have mentioned Rosemary and more!!! I prayed to the Lord that I wanted Him to be part of the art work I made, and would there be any way I could make a living from it somehow? Not that long ago I discovered an artist who had made art work for the Catholic Church, in which I have now returned to and do not feel I want to go anywhere else anymore!!! This artist is very good in painting Iconography. The more I read about Iconography, the more interested I became!!! This type of Art work includes images of our Lord, Holy Mary, the Saints, the Angels and as you paint you also pray!!! I am not interested only in learning how to paint Iconography BUT HAVING OUR LORD SPEAKING TO MY HEART THROUGH THE ART WORK WHILE I PAINT!!!….Could you please pray for me Rosemary, Bruce and Team that if this is God’s Will for me to do this, that He will find a way for me? May the Lord bless you Rosemary and I’m praying also for Bruce and the Team, that you continue to reach out far and wide in proclaiming the Gospel, in sharing your and others spiritual experiences with the Lord to all who need to hear and praying effectively for many of us around the world !!!